Of Mice and Men...

[Spa_Tech]

A legitimate question was posed elsewhere on the subject of the impact of insulation choice attracting rodentia.

The poster asked if the combination of heated airspace and insulation would attract mice that would chew on the plumbing or wires.

The poster was pooh poohed by the moderator and was told that mice dont eat PVC, and certainly cant do that in his spas.

This is patently FALSE.

Given access to the internals of a spa, rats and mice and other creatures will gladly set up housekeeping in your spa, whether it is thermal pane (air gap), or a full foam spa. The difference is in just what they can access under the cabinet. The will chew on plumbing, vinyl tubing, and wire insulation.

Below is a picture of a foot long segment of 2 inch flexiable PVC from a 1994 Cal Spa. The piece was chewed on long after the spa had leaked out its entire contents and detail reveals tiny teeth marks. As the picture shows, the only thing they didnt have a stomach for is the hard coil reinforcement of the tubing.

[Dr. Spaâ„¢ Ret.]

Just to add a bit... A rodent's teeth NEVER stop growing. They have to keep gnawing on stuff to wear them down. ANYTHING that's convenient and within reach they'll chew on, be it wood, metal or plastic. I've seen plenty of PVC pipe, vinyl tubing and electrical wiring chewed through by rodents.

AS far as a "heated airspace and insulation" attracting rodents? We're talking prime real estate here. Not only is it nice and warm, but there's an abundance of "building materials" available.

[huh?]

Had a similar problem with my car.  Squirrels liked to crawl up the tire and under the hood.  Chewed through spark plug cables, wiper fluid hoses, wires.  Tride to trape them and relocate.  Then they attacked my neighbors cherry jeep.  Haven't had a problem since.  Neighbors a big gun fan.

[Dave_L]

Totally agree. I had to remove a couple of sections of water supply PVC tubing at my cottage this spring due to rodents making a "snack" of it.

Dave

[zacman]

Wouldn't it be possible to cover any openings (which are there and needed for ventilation) with wire mesh or screen or something?  Seems that should not be too difficult.

[Dr. Spaâ„¢ Ret.]

Wouldn't it be possible to cover any openings (which are there and needed for ventilation) with wire mesh or screen or something?  Seems that should not be too difficult.

Until they decide they want IN. If they want in they'll just chew right through it.

[Spa_Tech]

Yes, zacman- its possible to tack up screen on your spa to try to prevent infestation and many spa companies  do vent screening... However mice and rats find ways in either by chewing through your cabinet or squeezing between cabinet slats or through the hole you drilled through the cabinet to thread your electrical supply.

Ultimately as a spa owner, you need to be doing a regular check up on your spa, checking hoses, wires, looking for evidence of rodent activity (poop) and taking precautions to disinvite the little furry visitors.

Im not a fan of decon- but you can try first repellants like 'mouse-away' or mothballs- If you dont have pets and are unopposed to poison, I lean towards 'one-bite'.

[Tman122]

Decon all the way, hopefully they will crawl far enough away on there dying breath to not stink to bad. I use it in my motor home every winter, and have to search for there final resting place. I like to put antifreeze in the drains and the shower drain and shower stall seems to be a nice pit for the monsters!!

[Tman122]

They say decon makes them thirsty so they search for water before they keel over!

[Spa_Tech]

Tman, 'One bite' does about the same thing, except that it comes in the shape of a pressed 'granola bar'...

The advantage in my opinion is that its not sitting loose in a deterioriating paper tray-  I say this because its really a nasty mess to clean up when I have to work inside the motor compartment of people's spas. I also suspect the odor that D-con has may lure them into the spa as well.

And just for clarity, mice and rats can get into any spa, whether full foam or thermal pane (air gap), whether you prepare for infestation or not. Given these facts, its wise just to keep an eye out who youre sharing your spa with...

[Chas]

The guy who invented this came in once and asked if I would like to sell these to our customers, or perhaps buy them in bulk and then include one with each tub. He's right here in town, and seems like he's doing well.

http://ratzapper.com

[cparlf]

One of my best friends is a self employed exterminator.  He treated my house this past June with a product that virtually eliminated the onslought of wasps this year.  We had them all over the windows, siding even in the car door jambs.  It does not stain vinyl siding, is pet safe, and works amazing.  I think it was called Border.  Need a license to get it, but am thinking it may work on the spa for wasps etc which was the topic for a busy topic post a month ago.  I'll ask him about spa mice next time we speak.  Of course, our environmentally friendly cat takes care of most mice, and rabbitts too.